In a sea-bound country like Greece, with its seemingly endless coastline and hundreds of islands, it stands to reason the bounty of the sea would find its place on the table. Greeks eat lots of fish and seafood, in lots of different ways.

Yet, despite their love of all the sea's treats, they tend to harbor an innate distrust of the fishmonger. They always have! Even the ancients, at least according to sources like Athenaeus in the Deipnosophists, were wary toward the unscrupulous practices of merchants who hawked fish. Today, of course, with the very sea that has inspired Greece forever in danger, the fish market is a place now filled with species, not only from local waters (the Mediterranean fish supply is sadly dwindling fast), but from all over the world. Fish farming is also big business in Greece, a double-edged sword that helps satisfy demand, while leaving open the whole issue of ecological balance and safety.

Nevertheless, fish is perceived as healthful, and Greeks enjoy it at home and in restaurants with equal gusto. The image of the small fishing boat and its weathered crew setting sail at dusk and plying local waters all night long to earn their meager living, runs deep in the national psyche, as does the more macho image of the lone diver, spear gun in hand, emerging hours later with a gangly octopus, or a trident full of some other fish ready for the evening's feast.

In the Greek kitchen, fish is fried, grilled, baked, stewed and preserved.

For grilling:

Whole fish on the grill makes for the most healthful, basic Greek meal. Among the fish savored whole on the grill, with little else but lemon juice, olive oil, salt and oregano to season it, are:

Sea bass (rofos)
Pike (sfirida)
Grouper (stira)
Snapper (sinagrida)
Porgies (tsipoura)
Sea bream (fagri or lithrini)
Sword fish (steaks or skewered chunks)
Grey mullet (kefalos)

For Frying:

Salt cod (bakaliaros)
Red mullet (barbouni)
Sand shark (galeos)
Smelts (gopes)
Pilchard (gavros)
Fresh sardines (sardela)
Trout (pestrofa)
Sea perch (hanos)
Pickerel (marides)

For Baking or Stewing:

Mackerel (kolios or magiatiko), whole
Fresh cod (freskos bakaliaros)
Grey mullet (kefalos)
Fresh sardines (sardeles)
Red snapper (sinagrida)
Porgies (tsipoures)
Parrotfish (sparos)

For soups:

Sea bass (rofos)
Scorpion fish (skorpina)
Grouper (stira)
Sea bream (lithrini or fagri)
Sea perch (hanos)

Salted and preserved:

Sardines (a specialty of the island of Lesvos)
Pilchard (gavros), usually put up in a vinegar brine with olive oil
Tsiros (a kind of small, often freshwater sardine)
Anchovies (antzougies)
Grey mullet
Mackerel (lakerda)

Other seafood:

Octopus, squid, cuttlefish, and shellfish make for some of the best bounty and Greeks enjoy them wholeheartedly.

Octopus: the charred, pinkish, grilled tentacles of the octopus have become synonymous with Greek cuisine the world over. Grilled octopus is one of country's best treats, savored as a meze with ouzo or chilled wine, in seaside tavernas and winter eateries alike. But octopus enjoys many other preparations as well. It is, indeed, one of the most versatile of the sea's creatures. Greeks preserve it in vinegar brine (htapodi xidato); stew it with all manner of vegetables; and cook it up with fennel, orange, and olives in a delicious regional dish from Crete. There are even recipes for octopus soup, octopus pie, and, of course, octopus cooked in tomato sauce and served with either pasta or rice.

Squid: another favorite on the Greek table, squid is enjoyed fried, grilled, and stewed. Rings of deep-fried squid are a fish tavern standard, usually served up with wedges of freshly cut lemons. Very large squid -thrapsala in Greek- is usually grilled whole. Sometimes large squid is also stuffed and grilled. Greek cooks also enjoy squid in the stewing pot, with wine and tomatoes, or stuffed with rice. Cuttlefish: one of the best-loved dishes in Greece is cuttlefish stewed with spinach. Greeks also like grilled cuttlefish, and pilaf in which the ink is also used as a flavoring agent.

Shellfish: there are too many different species of shellfish to recount here. Shrimp and mussels top the list. There are several indigenous species of shrimp in Greek waters, most notably a much revered large shrimp -gambari- that flourishes off the north western coast of Greece and is usually either grilled or fried. Greeks enjoy their shrimp fried whole, shell and all. Another classic on the taverna menu is saganaki: shrimp or mussels sauted in a two-handled, shallow skillet with wine or ouzo, tomatoes and oftentimes, cheese and hot peppers. At least one classic dish with mussels calls for stuffing them with rice and raisins. There are also numerous varieties of clams and other shellfish, savored raw.

Lobsters etal: Greeks disparage the large American lobster as a tasteless poor relation to the Mediterranean langoustine. There are several kinds of lobsters in the Aegean and Mediterranean, and mostly they are cooked up very simply -steamed or boiled and served with an olive oil and lemon dressing. One old fisherman's treat is for sun-dried lobster, but it is exceedingly difficult to come by nowadays.